Archive for category Books
Letter Of Marque: Did The Puntland Government Issue A Letter Of Marque To A Somali Privateer?
May 25
If this is true, this would be a very interesting development that kind of slipped through the cracks last year. I first read about this in John C. Payne’s book on piracy on page 104. I was kind of surprised to find such information, and I decided to do a little snooping around on the web. The only reference I could find for this was in the ECO Terra publication I posted below. That is it. Nothing mentioned in the media and nothing mentioned on the Puntland Government website. I even scanned through the Puntland Government constitution to see if they had an Amendment that authorizes their government to issue a Letter of Marque. It did not.(although they did come up with a new constitution later on that summer, so maybe their older one had it in there)
That’s not to say they did not issue one. It is just surprising to me that there has been nothing mentioned in the media about such things. So hopefully with this post, the Puntland Government can confirm or deny what Mr. Payne printed in his pretty extensive book about the subject of piracy.
If this is true, I believe this would be the first modern use of the LoM in over a century. (Or at least half a century if we can ever get a confirmation on the Airship Resolute LoM that was supposedly issued by the US during World War Two.) -Matt
——————————————————————-
From the ECO Terra publication.
MT SEA PRINCESS II and her crew of 15 seafarers (including 8 Indian and 2 Yemeni sailors) is free. The coastal fuel transporter, a 1,902 gross tonnage Oil Products Tanker built in 1977, was bound to deliver 2,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to the disputed Island of Socotra, when it was seized near Jabal Al Kalb off the Bir Ali coast by an armed gang on 3rd January 2009. The St Vincent & The Grenadines flagged ship is owned by Hodduia Shipping Comp. and managed by OSSCO from Hodeidah in Yemen.
I want to get the word out about a cool new war memoir that I just came across. I have not read the thing, but it has been recommended by friends, and I know my readership digs these kinds of books. Plus they make for great reads during your down time while deployed.
Also, Mr. Raab is self publishing, which I have a lot of respect for. Self publishing is tough because you do not have the same marketing and distribution resources as one of the big publishers. It is still cool, because at least you can control all aspects of what you are doing with that book, and sometimes these books take a life of their own without the power of a big publishing firm. Either way, most authors would like to get their books out there to the masses and sell a bunch, and I am sure this author would appreciate some help. So if you are a big time publishing firm that is reading this, or even a Hollywood guy, I would highly recommend checking out this book and getting in touch with Mr. Raab.
One final mention. At the website, you can see all of these Marines mentioned in the book, via some excellent youtube videos. It is quite a thing these days to not only read about these men and the war they fought, but to see them in action through film only makes the story they have to tell that much more interesting and personal. That is new media and that is pretty damned awesome. Check it out and Semper Fi. -Matt
—————————————————————–
By J. Michael Raab
J. Michael Raab chronicles the emotions, heartache, and bond of five lifelong friends during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
*****
In the wake of the September 11th attacks close friends are given the opportunity to come together and embrace the war on terrorism head on. Reuniting after being Honorably discharged from the Marine Corps five years prior, they find themselves re-enlisting in the military for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Every Day is Monday chronicles the emotions, heartache, and the bond of five men in their quest to find themselves, while dueling with an unforeseen insurgency in Iraq’s legendary Triangle of Death.
Struggling with the Rules of Engagement and the politics of war, the team must skillfully maneuver through enemy territory as a sniper element to combat the ever-growing invisible enemy that hunts them. Daily events bring them closer together as they face the challenge of not letting their friendship come before military rank, and the desire for each of them to lead the pack. The only thing that keeps them from losing their sanity in the fog of war is the bond of calling one another…Friends.
Buy the book here.
Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside.
Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars.
A successful strategy for preventing vandalism, say the book’s authors, is to fix the problems when they are small. Repair the broken windows within a short time, say, a day or a week, and the tendency is that vandals are much less likely to break more windows or do further damage. Clean up the sidewalk every day, and the tendency is for litter not to accumulate (or for the rate of littering to be much less). Problems do not escalate and thus respectable residents do not flee a neighborhood.
The theory thus makes two major claims: that further petty crime and low-level anti-social behavior will be deterred, and that major crime will, as a result, be prevented. Criticism of the theory has tended to focus only on the latter claim.
****
If you ever hear the whole ‘broken windows theory‘ being thrown around in discussions about law enforcement and reducing crime, this is the origins of the idea. George Kelling wrote this article below, and also has a book that further expands upon the ideas called Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities. So I wanted to put this out there for the readership, because I believe that parts of this theory, if not the general idea of it, could definitely be applied to our industry.
A really basic way to apply this theory to our industry, is the management of your person and your position/post at whatever contract you are at. Will others have less respect for your post and your job, if they see that your post or even you is in complete disarray(broken window)? First impressions make lasting impressions, and if your post or you looks sloppy or looks unorganized, then will others feel more inclined to disrespect your post or ‘break another window’? It is an interesting idea that I often come back to when I think about the defense or crime.
Take it a step further. If a town or city in a war zone, was organized and sharp looking, complete with defenses that actually look impressive, will an enemy or even bandits be less inclined to attack it? If a ‘jundi’ in Iraq is manning a position at a site, and the sand bags are all leaking out and the gun is covered in rust and dirt, and trash is all over the post, would insurgents be more inclined to pick that post to focus a coordinated assault with? (you could also use this to your advantage for a ‘counter’ strategy–hidden surprises anyone?)
How about for minimizing crime in war zones? Obviously law enforcement is weakened in war zones, because these officers are busy with a lot of stuff. (like not getting killed). If there is not an effort to clean up the bullet holes, or fix the windows, or repair the homes that are damaged by war, will criminals naturally feel like they can get away with anything? That no one in the community cares about their community, and that they could easily be manipulated by criminals imposing their will? Interesting stuff, and I would like to hear what you think about Broken Window Theory, as it applies to CONUS or OCONUS? -Matt
————————————————————–
March 1982
The police and neighborhood safety
By George L. Kelling
In the mid-l970s The State of New Jersey announced a “Safe and Clean Neighborhoods Program,” designed to improve the quality of community life in twenty-eight cities. As part of that program, the state provided money to help cities take police officers out of their patrol cars and assign them to walking beats. The governor and other state officials were enthusiastic about using foot patrol as a way of cutting crime, but many police chiefs were skeptical. Foot patrol, in their eyes, had been pretty much discredited. It reduced the mobility of the police, who thus had difficulty responding to citizen calls for service, and it weakened headquarters control over patrol officers.
Many police officers also disliked foot patrol, but for different reasons: it was hard work, it kept them outside on cold, rainy nights, and it reduced their chances for making a “good pinch.” In some departments, assigning officers to foot patrol had been used as a form of punishment. And academic experts on policing doubted that foot patrol would have any impact on crime rates; it was, in the opinion of most, little more than a sop to public opinion. But since the state was paying for it, the local authorities were willing to go along.
Book: Living In The Shadow Of The Iraq Conflict–From A Military Contractor’s Wife, By Linda Johnson
Mar 23
I am glad a book like this is out there. The haunting truth about this industry, is that there is absolutely no support mechanism for the families of contractors.
With the military, there are all sorts of resources available to the families of soldiers, all with the intent of helping wives or husbands and the families through long and tough deployments. Or worse yet, helping families during times when their loved one has been hurt in time of war. With contractors, there is nothing.
Often times, families just create their own support mechanisms and do what they can to survive. The one real benefit with contracting is that guys can just go home if things get too rough for the family. That and deployments are usually shorter.
Another factor of contracting, is the families of third country national contractors. Often these contractors are in Iraq or Afghanistan for years and not months. They too must create their own family support mechanisms back home, in order to support such long deployments. Yet again, these contractors could go home to deal with problems, but the jobs they fill are highly competitive and most guys and gals who are contractors fear losing their job more. Hence why you have folks who work for such long deployments.
So with that said, I would like to present to the readership a book written from the perspective of the families back home. Like the military family, the ups and downs and yearning for loved ones far away is just the same for this community. If you have a wife or girlfriend or family who would like to read a book about what to expect as a family member of a contractor serving overseas, this is it. I have not read the book yet, so I will not give it a thumbs up or down, but I will promote such things, just because there isn’t anything else like this out there. If any of the readership has read the book or has something to say, feel free to share in the comments. -Matt
——————————————————————
This book is being dedicated to all of those brave men and women who have sacrificed home and country to work inside Iraq or Afghanistan during a time of conflict. You have worked alongside our military, and I thank you for your valiant efforts. To the families left behind, I applaud your bravery and selfless dedication as you supported your loved ones in their decision to go. ….I also wrote this for him, he will have a more cohesive and complete picture of what this journey has been like for me …back home with him gone.
Summary
Many Americans only know military contractors from the little they have read in the media, which hasn’t always portrayed a pleasant picture.
Now, Linda J Johnson is bringing to light the real story behind her family’s sacrificing for their country in this capacity. She believes her story reflects thousands of American families who have been involved in the deployment of a loved one in support of our troops!
Faced with a job shortage on the Island of Kauai; Linda’s husband responded to a recruitment ad for a military contractor and his decision changed their lives forever. Since 2005, Linda began writing a journal to capture what he and their youngest son was seeing out on the battlefield, as well as what she was seeing in the changing of America. That journal became her new book. Through drastic ups and downs, Linda and Richard persevered with faith and pride in his work and in the U.S., constantly battling the negative attitude portrayed by the MSM towards military contractors and the war.
Learn what their lives are like when Living in the Shadow of the Iraq Conflict. Richard returned home in August of 2009 after having served four consecutive years as a military contractor in Baghdad, Iraq.
About The Author
Linda J Johnson received her doctorate in Christian education in 1999. She also holds certification as a CISD (critical incident stress debriefor) counselor. She is an ordained minister and an internationally endorsed community services chaplain with the Church of God, Cleveland, TN.
Currently, Linda resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where she contributes to the community as a substitute teacher and has headed up the 9/11 project for Awakening America. She has welcomed home her husband of thirty-two years and they are pursuing this project together as they tour and speak and sign books across the country.
Contact Linda J. JohnsonContact Linda J Johnson to book speaking engagements, book signings, or purchase author-signed copies. Leave your contact information in the body of the message.
Book website here.
Buy the book here.
For traditional defense companies, the operative word is “non-kinetic,” another speaker asserted.
“We love our kinetic weapons, and we don’t want to let them go,” he said. “But the world is moving in a different direction.”
Here’s the problem: Kinetic weapons only are useful in phases two, three and four of war. Gates is veering the emphasis to the fringes — to phases zero and one (prevention of conflict, interagency work) and to phases five and six (stabilization and policing).
*****
I love articles like this, because looking into the future of an industry, takes analysis and synthesis. You have to put all the pieces together, and create a picture of what you think will happen. If you have a enough of these articles, you can start to gain a consensus with predictions. You also hope that people aren’t just copying what everyone else is saying, and calling that prediction.
With that said, I take all of these with a grain of salt, and enjoy the process. From what I can deduct, I think organizations like the IPOA are gonna be very popular in this industry. Because stabilization and policing is right at the top of the list with this industry, and if we continue to apply Kaizen to the way we do business, this industry will continue to gain.
I also got the obvious hint in this article about what the big guys are reading. Andrew Krepinevich should be on the reading list for everyone here, if they want to make their own assessments. If the big guys are reading it, and the thing is shaping policy because of what was said, I kind of think that our industry should keep up and get on the same track. - Matt
——————————————————————
To Defense Industry, the Future Looks Uncomfortably Unfamiliar
April 2010
By Sandra I. Erwin
Once upon a time there was much anxiety in the defense industry about the Obama administration gutting the Pentagon’s budget.
Those worries have been allayed, for now. Defense is the only portion of the federal budget that the president sheltered from the axe.
So the industry is breathing a sigh of relief, sort of.
Yes, the budget is huge, but the industry still feels vulnerable. Executives fear that weapons systems that for decades have been reliably profitable are becoming obsolete. They see the Defense Department shifting into new areas of warfare, but are not sure how to reposition their companies to succeed in non-traditional markets. They also fret about the nation’s oncoming fiscal train wreck, and wonder when someone will make the tough choices.
The much-anticipated Quadrennial Defense Review was supposed to give the industry “planning tools” to strategize about the future of the business. But the review was mostly a disappointment for its lack of specificity. One industry official compared the QDR to the Soviets’ infamous five-year plans for economic development.
In boardrooms these days, corporate bosses are brainstorming.
Here is another blog to put up on your RSS reader folks, and I look forward to future posts from Rob about all things contracting, or whatever interests him. It’s just cool he is blogging, and I hope to see others follow his lead.
I also posted his book awhile back and I am sure he has sold a few since then. It’s a cool book and goes into some of his interesting contracting history, before security contracting blew up during these current wars. Places like Balkans or Somalia, and you can read a little more about his book at his new website/blog. He also did a podcast with Jake Allen awhile back, and you can check that out here.
Finally, James who is the designer and creator behind such projects as Death Valley Magazine, is responsible for putting together this website for Rob. So if you are interested in getting your own blog started, and want to enter into the ring of new media, then there is one resource for you to tap into. I am sure James will pop up and provide some info about what he can do for you. -Matt
Rob Krott’s blog and website here.
Outstanding book, and I give it two thumbs up. I don’t get a chance to read many books these days, and this was a book that I wanted to get my hands on and read ever since it came out. No disappointments either. So let me do a run down of what inspired me, and how this book relates to our industry.
I also want to mention that I realize that the US has given aid to Israel. So you could easily say that their economy and war machine has benefited from that infusion of aid. But the return on investment in Israel, has been phenomenal for the amount of patents, inventions, and business innovation that has come out of that small country. How is it that Israel– a country of 7.1 million, only 60 years old, surrounded by enemies, in a constant state of war since its founding, with no natural resources– produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada and the UK? How can anyone look at how much has come out of Israel, and not be inspired or curious as to the ‘why’? With that said, lets get started.
If I was to sum up the theme of this book, it would be the Hebrew word ‘Davka‘, or ‘to succeed in spite of’. The Israelis are surrounded by people and countries that hate them and want nothing more than to destroy them. In turn, the Israelis have to be smart to survive and they have to have a strong military that can deal with multiple threats. Do to such a small population, everyone must serve in the military too. They also need a vibrant economy to pay for it all. And like Dan Senor and Saul Singer have so eloquently spelled out in their book, the Israelis know exactly what it takes to survive.
It is a country filled with entrepreneurs who are not afraid to fail, and they all have gained valuable leadership and innovation experience at an early age while in the military. The companies in Israel are extremely innovative and are resilient in the face of war, because of this military infusion in their culture. It’s not because they want to be a militaristic society, it’s because they have to be, do to a shortage on manpower. It is that dynamic, that has helped produce such highly resilient economy filled with entrepreneurs.
So let me cover some points as a teaser that really stood out for me. The Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet, actually invested in an Israeli firm, and that was something he promised he would never do. At face value, investing in a company located in such a volatile part of the world, doesn’t make sense. But because the companies in Israel are driven by Davka and have a supreme dedication to the customer and delivering on their promises, that during times of war, production levels actually increased.
During the Gulf War 1, the Israeli economy persevered, because the thinking was that Saddam would not get the best of Israel or impact it’s economy negatively. The production levels increased during that war, just because they wanted to succeed in spite of the attacks. The same thing happened during the Second Lebanon war, and production levels increased.
These companies were also run by reservists or former IDF, and that battlefield resolve translated into economic resolve in the face of crisis. Buffet recognized this, and that is why he invested there. Cisco has bought nine companies in Israel, and the list goes on. Everyone knows that the Israelis produce the most innovative stuff, and they are extremely resilient in the face of crisis. Investors love that stuff.
Israel also has a culture in which the military veteran is highly regarded, and business recognizes the value of that veteran. It is much like how after WW 2 in America, where if you were applying for a job and ‘weren’t a veteran’, you were an oddball. In today’s America, it is the other way around. We have one half of the society that has never served in the military, and really doesn’t understand the benefits behind hiring veterans, and then we have the other half of society, that does serve or has served, and understands those benefits clearly. We are not taking full advantage of this leadership resource. Today’s business is also missing out on the innovation capabilities of this abundant resource, and continue to think that they will get better leaders out of ‘universities that produce book smart kids’, but certainly fall short in the leadership manufacturing department.
For the record, I have not read any of his books, but I am definitely intrigued. It’s not so often that you find guys in this industry that are current contractors, and authors of several books. If any of the readership has anything to say about his stuff, I am all ears. They certainly sound interesting. Check it out, and you can buy his books through his website. -Matt
——————————————————————
Thanks for stopping by:
As a private military contractor I have traveled and worked all around Latin America and West Africa. I currently fly for the Department of Defense, but in the past I’ve worked for other government agencies and multi-national oil companies.
However, my real passion is writing. In 2003 I wrote a short book on how to get a job as a military contractor. In 2007 I finished my first novel, Arauca. By 2009 I finished my second novel, Asgaard.
Both novels feature characters that work as private military contractors. These characters interact in political settings taken from tomorrow’s news. Arauca is based in Colombia, and Asgaard takes place in the Congo.
My third novel should be finished in 2010.
